One of my major goals this year was to try changing my beauty and body products over to organic products. Where did this come from? I'd love to claim that I am so very concerned about our planet, or that it's a move to support local products. While both of these things are factors, they are not the reasons I made this decision.

Since birth, I've suffered from eczema. It's severity changes over time, like a rollercoaster, getting better and almost completely disappearing to life-alteringly bad. It was at it's worse when I was going through puberty. It was never as bad as I've heard it can be. People die of eczema in third world countries. For me, it was more of a social thing. Let me paint you a picture.

When I was 15, I was just starting to develop. I had very frizzy long hair, braces, headgear, I was chubby, I had never had a boyfriend or even been kissed. I was unpopular and very awkward. On top of all of this, my eczema was at it's worst. I was called "Crocodile" by my classmates because of my scaly and peeling skin. I had patches all over my body, but most notably, my face. I couldn't go swimming because the chlorine would aggravate things and make it worse. I had to be very careful about what products I used for the same reason.

Since then, I've adapted and for the most part, it's manageable. I generally only get spots around my mouth, on my ears, my arms and my hips. I still can't swim for very long, or go in salt water. I have to be very careful about every product that comes in contact with my skin for fear of setting off a reaction. The worst so far was after a mani-pedi appointment I had. They used a lotion on my arms that had cinnamon in it and I was so red and swollen, Pat almost took me to the ER.

Back before Christmas, I went to the Originals craft show with Mum and Tracy. There, I met a woman from Earth to Body that, somehow, was able to reach me. I've heard for years that there are a number of things that you can try to get rid of eczema, including a vegan diet, cleanses, hydocolonic treatments and UV treatments. All of these things were costly, in one way or another, and were not going to fit the lifestyle I lead. At least not long term. This woman and I were talking, and she wasn't even the slightest bit surprised at my problems, considering the products I use.

It was then and there I made my decision. For my new years goal, I would try going organic and see if it helps. Through the use of one of my favourite sites, Skin Deep, I was able to see just what I was putting on my skin.

So, I was averaging at about 7-8 on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being nearly harmless, 10 being Glow-in-the-dark-sign-me-up-for-cancer damaging. As you know, cancer is rampant in my family, so anything I can do to lessen my chances, the better.

So, I'm averaging now at about 3, which is a big difference. I'm really hoping I feel it. So far, being day one, I'm really happy with how my body feels. I'm not reacting to anything (which is always a risk when trying something new). It cost me about 100$ to change over to organic. Hopefully, it'll all be worth it.

Meanwhile, I'm also giving this a shot. Supposedly, the Hazelwood in the necklaces balances the acidity in the body, eliminating eczema. Worth a shot right? Right.

I'll keep you all updated on this journey :) I'm really hoping that it makes a good change in my life.

I'm guessing you've looked at possible allergies as a possible cause? If not, perhaps it might be? A friend's son has severe alleriges to dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, mustard, etc. and his first year of life was him covered with severe ezcema - got rid of the allergy foods, the ezcema went away.